About Author

Tony Collins is an investigative and campaigning journalist and former Executive Editor at Computer Weekly. With his friend and colleague David Bicknell he wrote "Crash", which found common factors in the world's largest public and private sector IT-related failures. He wrote "Open Verdict", a book on the strange deaths of defence scientists. He writes, and gives talks, on the tensions and disputes between suppliers and users.

The Cabinet Office's Major Projects Authority is reviewing CSC’s £2.9bn worth of
NPfIT contracts. It will consider whether to pay CSC a sum, say £50m, to terminate the NHS IT scheme for convenience, with mutual consent, or sign a memorandum of understanding which knocks £764m off the price of CSC's contracts - leaving £2.1bn still to pay - which may prove poor value for money because it will double the cost of each deployment of iSoft's Lorenzo.

The Department of Health has accused CSC of a breach of contract - and CSC has accused the NHS of causing alleged breaches. Neither side has taken their claims to arbitration though, which would be the next step if they were seriously discontent.

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